From the bedroom with wood-burning stove to helpful staff and a Segway tour, everything was going swimmingly at this revamped hotel. Until the ‘gastro-buffet’ at dinnertime …
Not many hotels encourage guests to ride a Segway to breakfast. But the Fish Hotel does things a little differently. Rather than one building, this hotel is a collection of annexes scattered around the 400-acre Farncombe estate, with steep connecting paths, perfect for some Brian Pern-style transportation. Not that Segways are handed out as standard, sadly; I was midway through an early morning guided session with the on-site activity centre and stopped to refuel at the Lodge, which houses the reception, restaurant and bar. Staff didn’t turn a hair at my unusual arrival, which was in keeping with the faultless service throughout our stay.
Take our check-in the night before. The grounds are a little confusing to navigate in the dark, so the night porter drove us in convoy to our room in the Stables. He came back first with delicious nightcaps of rum and ginger, then again with a lighter for the wood-burning stove. This was the biggest treat of all: it was hard to tear ourselves away from the hearth – I kept adding just one more log.
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